JASON OXENHAM
GREYED-OUT: The artist who painted the much-loved grumpy cat has spent many hours creating artworks, only to have them covered over by Watercare.
CELEBRITY CAT: Grumpy Cat is a social media phenomenon.
The loss of a painting of a grumpy cat has sparked a discussion about the fate of one of Auckland's most prominent water towers.
The disgruntled kitty appeared on Big King reservoir last year and quickly gained the adoration of dozens of people who use the dog-friendly reserve. It resembled the famed Grumpy Cat of Facebook notoriety.
Eventually, like so much graffiti before it, the cat was covered over with grey paint.
Security cameras have also been installed on one side of the tower to keep taggers at bay.
But the anonymous person responsible for the grumpy cat painting says the cameras only stop the people doing legitimate artworks.
"It's never going to deter the ugly stuff, because you can pull your hoody up and tag the entire thing in 30 seconds. But I can't spend an hour up there painting anything nice anymore," he says.
The Mt Roskill resident has been painting the tower with his pop-surrealist pieces for about six years.
"I'm just trying to make my neighbourhood more interesting for me," he says.
"I'd cover that thing in paint if I could."
He says it is unfortunate that Watercare, the company responsible for the reservoir, cannot make the distinction between art and tagging.
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